


Jump

by falling in love (princess_zel)



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - After College/University, F/M, Gaang shenanigans, Modern AU, Songfic, The Gaang ships Zutara, Zutara Songfic, facetime call, so so soft, so soft, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:21:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26722090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princess_zel/pseuds/falling%20in%20love
Summary: After flunking a job interview, Zuko calls Katara and wonders if he's finally ready to let her fully into his heart.
Relationships: Katara & The Gaang (Avatar), Katara & Zuko (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 170





	1. you make me forget that i'm not ready for love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a p messy lil oneshot (didn't really edit or proofread), but i still think it's cute :))
> 
> it's also partially inspired by the song "Jump" by Julia Michaels (such a Zutara song)

A giggle escapes her lips before she can stop herself, and she hides her smile with a hand to her mouth. “Zuko, you didn’t!!” she exclaims, the blue light from her phone illuminating her face in her otherwise dark room. Conscious of her roommate, Toph, working on a project in the other room, she attempts to lower her voice before continuing, “I can’t believe you.”

“It wasn’t supposed to be funny!” Zuko huffs back in response. “I really didn’t know.”

Katara narrows her eyes at him, propping herself up better on her elbows, lying flat on her bed. “There’s no way you could’ve messed up  _ that _ badly, though,” she retorts. “I thought we went through this already - You can’t just walk into an interview going, ‘Hey, Zuko, here.’ It’s weird! You can be such a turtleduck sometimes.”

Zuko groans, burying his face in his free hand. Even through the screen, he knows that she can feel his embarrassment. “I didn’t mean for it to be awkward, Katara - I just… I froze up when I walked into the interview. You know that communication isn’t my strong suit. I’ve never had to think about getting a job or sitting through an interview before.” Although it’s just reaching dusk where he is in the Fire Nation, Zuko knows that it’s nearing one o’clock in the morning where Katara is in Ba Sing Se. He can’t help but smile fondly as she yawns and wrinkles her nose. 

“It’ll be okay, Zuko,” she tries to comfort him. “Even if you don’t land the job, you always have your uncle and Sokka and Toph and Suki and Aang and… and me.” Her voice gets softer and softer with each name that she mentions, her eyes drooping sleepily. “You’d be able to stay in Ba Sing Se and… and… and you could find work here. Somewhere where they don’t mind the fact that you’re socially awkward.”

He rolls his eyes at that, even though he knows she’s only teasing. “I’m not socially awkward.”

“Mmyes you are,” Katara mumbles back, a wisp of curly brown hair slipping out of the bun she’s pulled onto the top of her head. He wishes that he were there to tuck it back in place behind her ear.

“No I’m not,” he shakes his head, deciding to change tactics. Arching a brow and giving her his best smolder (the one that drives the girls who follow his Instagram crazy), he lifts his burning gaze to his phone’s camera. Expecting her to brush him off like she normally does, he’s taken aback when she doesn’t respond right away. He almost thinks he spots a faint blush coloring her cheeks, but he can’t tell because most of her lights are turned off. 

Seemingly coming to herself again, Katara changes the subject abruptly, “Do you think you’re going to be coming home soon?”

“I’d like to think so,” Zuko shrugs in reply. “If I pass this interview, I’ll probably have to stay for a final round of them in the next week or so. If not, I’ll be back home, and the job hunt’ll be back on.”

“And they’re going to ask you to stay in Caldera?” Katara asks, her voice cracking slightly from her exhaustion.

Zuko nods, his lips pressed into a firm line. “Yeah…”

“Are you sure that’s best for you, Zuko?” she questions further. “If anything happens with your father…” She looks away from the camera and down at her hands which are clutching her sheets tightly.

He pauses for a moment, mulling things over in his mind. “I don’t really know. I don’t want him to think that he has any control over my life anymore. I’ve given up my inheritance, and I’m getting a new job and standing on my own two feet.” He clenches his fists, all his muscles seizing up at the thought of his father. Gripping the side of the plush hotel armchair he’s sitting in, he almost drops his phone in the process.

She sighs softly. “I know that you’re set on proving your father wrong, Zuko, and I’m really proud of you for it.” His heart thrills at her words. “I can’t help but think, though, that returning to the Fire Nation will only make things worse for you.”

“It’ll be difficult,” he admits, adjusting the angle at which he’s holding the camera. “But isn’t this the only way I can show my father how wrong he is?” His whole life, Zuko craved his father’s affection and love, but he got none. Instead, he was showered with his father’s wealth, riches, disapproval, and control, none of which made him happy. Just a month ago, he finally snapped at his father, effectively cutting himself off from his inheritance and his so-called future. Did he regret it? No. Did he wish that it hadn’t screwed him up so badly? Yes. When she doesn’t respond right away, he continues, “I wish my mom were here.”

Katara’s blue eyes soften at that, “I know…”

“I wish you were here with me too,” Zuko says without thinking. “The world always seems clearer when I’m with you.”

“You don’t need me,” she shakes her head, her tone heavy with something Zuko can’t quite identify.

Conversations they’ve had previously assault his mind. “Katara, you know I do.”

“I know you’re not ready, Zuko,” she says, her lips twisting into a bitter smile. “You’re not ready to take the jump, and I respect that. We’ve both been hurt before. I won’t push.”

Taking in his cramped hotel room, devoid of all the luxuries he’d grown up with, Zuko can’t meet her gaze, his molten eyes searching for anything to look at but her. There’ve been a few times when they’ve been together, completely open and vulnerable, just the two of them, where Zuko has seen the glimmer of a future. A beautiful future. With her. One that he can’t have. One that he doesn’t deserve. One he’s too scared to reach for.

When he doesn’t respond right away, Katara sighs, mostly to herself. “Things will be okay. You don’t have to run - to your father or away from your friends. You know that, right?”

He remains silent, thoughtful.

Katara gives a small yawn, her face scrunching up adorably again.

“You should sleep, Katara,” Zuko finally says, his voice husky as the night grows dark. If it’s getting late here in the Fire Nation, then it’s high past time for Katara to sleep before her early morning class tomorrow. “It’s late.” She opens her mouth to protest before he cuts her off. “Sleep.” It’s not a request.

“Stay on?” she asks, shifting on her bed so that she can pull her covers up.

He can’t help but smile as she curls on her side, adjusting the phone so that he can still see her face. “Okay.”

Her long lashes blink heavily, and he wishes he could admire how they brush against the soft skin of her cheeks. As the sun sets over the Caldera skyline, Zuko gets up from his seat and goes to close his curtains. While he’s up, he flicks off his room’s lightswitch, slipping under his hotel sheets and propping his phone up against one of his two pillows.

He just about thinks she’s asleep when she mumbles, “Zuko?”

“Yes, Katara?” he responds back, admiring the way her hair splays all over her sheets.

“Mmlove you,” she says, her eyes shut as she drifts off to sleep, so far away from him. 

His heart stops.

He lies frozen under his covers, despite his body naturally running warm. Suddenly, all thoughts on his father, all his prideful ambitions to one-up those who hurt him, all desires to land the job in Caldera… They dissipate as he watches the beautiful girl on the other side of his screen sleep.

He never asked for these feelings. In all honesty, he tries to not think about them too much. Katara makes it too damn easy to forget how damaged he is. She makes him want to fall in love. She reminds him of how meaningless some things in life are.

For so long, they’ve tiptoed around the idea of being together, and Katara’s always been so understanding. She understands when he needs to slow down, even when he doesn’t realize it himself. She knows why he’s skittish and cautious because it’s the same reason why she’s afraid as well. They’ve both been hurt very badly in the past.

Is he ready for love? He’s thought for years that he isn’t.

But as his heart beats firmly in his chest, he sinks into his pillow, smiling at his girl on the other side of the world.

Screw the job in Caldera. He doesn’t want it. Not when he can have her. Not when he can have a future.

First thing in the morning, he’s going to book a flight back home to Ba Sing Se. He’s going to sweep her into his arms and hold her tightly against his chest. He’s going to do this. Coming back to the place he once called home has shown him that he’s ready.

“I love you too, Katara,” he whispers into the darkness. “I’m ready to take the jump now.” He doesn’t end the call. He can’t bring himself to.

Instead, he drifts off to sleep, lulled by the sound of Katara’s steady breathing on the other end of the screen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much to all who leave kudos n bookmark <333
> 
> if you wanna say hi via [tumblr](http://elsie-zel.tumblr.com/), please do! i desperately want Zutara friends now, lol
> 
> Elsie


	2. everytime i see you i just wrap myself around you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i received a couple of comments/dms requesting or expressing interest in a second installment of this fic, and well... who am i to refuse when i love this universe so much, lol. this has now become a twoshot >:)
> 
> this chapter's in katara's pov, and we've got some gaang shenanigans worked in here too ;)) also, it's barely been proofread (sleep vs hw vs proofreading) so i apologize for any mistakes, lol

“Sokka, where are we even going?” she asks, rolling her eyes so high that she can almost hear Gran Gran warning her about them getting stuck there.

He tugs at her arm eagerly, “Don’t worry about it, Katara – Just get in the car!” He pops open the passenger seat door, gesturing for her to hop in.

Narrowing her eyes, she hesitates before Toph gives her a shove forward. “ _T_ _oph_!”

“Sorry, Sugar Queen,” Toph shrugs her shoulders, piling into the backseat after Aang. The mischievous smirk that dances across her features shows that she’s anything but sorry. She snickers with Aang, snapping her seatbelt over her chest. 

Reluctantly, Katara tugs on her own seatbelt as Sokka starts up the old minivan. “No, you’re not,” she huffs back. “Why can’t you all just tell me where we’re going?”

Aang grins, leaning forward to poke his head in between the two front seats, “Because, Katara! We don’t want to ruin the surprise.” With almost inhuman speed, he pulls a blindfold out of his bag, draping it over Katara’s eyes and deftly tying a knot to hold it in place at the back of her head.

“ _Aang_!” she cries exasperatedly as all three of them burst into a round of uncontrollable giggles. “You’re all being so frustrating.” She tries tugging the fabric down, but Aang stops her before she can. “Aang, I can’t _see_.”

Toph lands a swift kick to her back through the seat, “Neither can I, Sweetness! Welcome to my world.”

With a groan, Katara sinks further into the seat cushions as Sokka pulls the van out of the driveway and onto the road. “You’d think that you’d all have matured some, considering the fact that we’re adults now.” Her face pulls into a pinched glare, even though they can’t see it beneath her blindfold. “I can’t wait for Zuko to get back home. I don’t know if I can deal with you three hooligans alone for much longer.”

As the minivan rolls down the street, Sokka snorts, “Yeah, we can’t wait for good ol’ Dadko to whip us back into shape.”

Folding her arms over her chest, Katara huffs again before lapsing into silence. She is _not_ in the mood to be teased right now. As Sokka turns up the radio, Toph kicks her feet up, and Aang belts along to the song blasting through the van, she thinks back on her call with Zuko last night.

Her cheeks color lightly as she remembers murmuring something really embarassing (like being in _love_ with him) while they were still on call. She can only hope that he didn’t manage to catch what she said. Thankfully, she knows that it’ll likely be at least another week before he returns home. Despite some of the awkward fumbling he described, she knows that he aced his interview. He’s very talented and has all the right credentials. He’ll be granted that final interview and will nail it too.

Then, after accepting the job offer, he’ll arrive back home to begin packing his things… Sokka will lose his roommate. Aang will lose his early morning jogging partner. Toph will lose her rich kid gossiping buddy.

But Katara?

Katara will lose her best friend. Katara will lose her gang-wrangling partner. Katara will lose her closest confidant.

Her throat tightens uncomfortably at the thought. She’s suddenly grateful for the blindfold as tears begin to prickle at the corners of her eyes. If any of her friends notice her sudden silence, they don’t comment on it.

She wants to be happy for him. She knows that he, of all people, deserves happiness, and if that means that he needs to move back to Caldera, then so be it. But deep within her heart, she supposes she may always feel at least a little bitter about this.

Leaning her head against her window, she sighs, wishing that she was in the position to actually think properly. Somehow, Sokka’s argument with Toph about whether or not water can be wet is quite distracting despite how much she’s tried to block it out.

If Zuko decides to move to Caldera, Katara thinks she can be happy. She tries to imagine a new life for him in the Fire Nation, with a new job, a new crew, and a new best friend. The thought of being replaced causes her heart to twist.

She still has an awful feeling in her stomach and a bitter taste in her mouth by the time the minivan rolls to a stop with Sokka shifting the vehicle into park. “We made it!” Her brother sounds suspiciously enthusiastic about wherever they are. She doesn’t like it.

Aang lets out a loud whoop of excitement as he and Toph rush to unbuckle their seatbelts. “Boy, I cannot _wait_ until –”

“Shut up, Twinkletoes!” Toph cuts him off, presumably covering his mouth with her hands, based on how muffled he sounds.

A single brow arches at that. As Katara fumbles to unclick her own seatbelt, she waits for Sokka to meet her at the door. “You guys are in _so_ much trouble once I figure out what’s going on here.”

“I’m not so sure about that, Katara,” Aang shoots back cheerily. Even with the fabric covering her eyes, she can still envision him bouncing along the curb with Toph at his side.

With one of her arms looped through Sokka’s, she walks forward with Aang and Toph trailing behind. They leave the minivan parked… somewhere. She can’t quite tell based on how the environment sounds around them. They could be anywhere for all she knows. Several times during their little adventure, Sokka yanks her backward, a car or van very nearly hitting them.

They finally arrive at a building, and Sokka leads her inside. The coolness of air conditioning hits her skin, and the sound of heels clicking and shoes hitting against the slick floors is quite pervasive. They seem to be in some sort of crowd.

“Sokka,” Katara tries again. “You know that, whatever you’re trying to pull, you’re not going to get the sort of reaction you want.” She lets go of him as they come to a standstill, folding her arms over her chest.

Toph cackles behind her, “Oh, Sugar Queen, you’re in for a real surprise.” The smaller girl lands a teasing punch to her arm.

“I thought we weren’t supposed to say anything!” Aang pouts.

“I didn’t say what the surprise was, dummy,” Toph declares. “You almost did.”

The two burst into a petty argument, and Sokka’s suspiciously quiet despite her question. “Sokka,” she grits out. “What’s going on?”

“Katara, you have no patience, you know that, right?” Sokka groans back. From the sound of it, he’s typing furiously, sending text after text, tapping his feet against the floor. Then, he exhales sharply. “Toph, Aang, get ready.”

They both immediately quit their squabbling and begin shuffling around her, and she’s about ready to scream. She’s so damn tired of being _confused._

Aang moves to stand behind her, and she’s about to protest, but then Toph’s cackling loudly, and Aang’s fumbling with the blindfold, and Sokka’s exclaiming, “Open your eyes!”

So she does. At first, the light is too bright, and she’s so disoriented that she can barely register where she is. Soon, she’s able to pick out bits and pieces from her surroundings. Kiosks. Flight attendants. Travelers with suitcases. People waiting for cabs to pick them up. Sleek epoxy flooring. Areas of brightly colored carpet.

They’re at an airport?

She’s frozen in place. Sokka has his phone out with the camera aimed at her, and Aang is beaming with a wide smile, and Toph has on the biggest smirk. What is happening?

And that’s when she sees him, hesitating only twenty or thirty paces away from her. He calls her name in the middle of the busy terminal, and she decides right then and there that it’s the sweetest thing she’s ever heard. He looks exhausted; dark circles paint his under-eyes, and his travel pillow is halfheartedly slung around his neck. His hair is a mess, and his clothes are wrinkled.

That doesn’t stop her from running to meet him, though.

As she leaps into his arms, he drops his backpack on the ground and lets go of his suitcase, sweeping her into his embrace and crushing her against his chest.

They’re both laughing and crying, and although Katara’s never been more confused in her entire life, everything just seems to make sense now. With her arms twined around his neck and her body flush against his, she’s nearly breathless, and when he rests his forehead against hers, she thinks she must be dreaming.

“Zuko,” she manages to choke out. “What’re you doing here?” He should be an ocean away in the Fire Nation, awaiting his final interview, not here in her arms.

He cradles her face gently. “I decided not to go through with it. You were right – I _don’t_ want to live in Caldera.” His fingers are warm, and she finds herself leaning into his touch. “When I’m here, I’m right where I belong. With Uncle,” he smiles. “With my friends,” he continues, directing a grin at Sokka, Aang, and Toph. “With you.”

“I thought you said you weren’t ready,” she whispers, gripping his shoulders tightly.

Brushing his thumbs along her cheeks softly, Zuko smiles at her, “Honestly, Katara, I don’t think I was, back then, but being away has made me realize that now I am. I’m really nervous, but I’m ready.”

Aang and Toph begin to crow behind them, and Sokka lets out a yelp as he almost drops his phone. “Don’t worry, buddy – I didn’t drop it! I’ll make sure to show this video to your future children!”

Choosing to remain blissfully ignorant of her brother and his antics, Katara tilts her head up, keeping her eyes locked on Zuko’s. “Are you?”

“I love you, Katara.”

It’s more than enough for her. She tugs him downward, lips crashing against his, their ragged breathing perfectly in sync. She loves him too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading! i've got a ton of wips going on right now (plus zk big bang's happening pretty soon) so writing this proved to be a nice break from all that.
> 
> if you'd like to say hi via [tumblr](https://elsie-zel.tumblr.com), please feel free!!
> 
> Elsie


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